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When you’re setting the scene for a “Thanksgiving in the summertime”, as today’s bride did, it’s important to include amazing scenery, handmade details, and the smiling faces of all your family and friends. Rachel and James held their wedding on a starry Southern California evening and were determined to keep the planning process about their love for each other, not table linens or huge flower arrangements. The bride made nearly all of the rustic-elegant decor and every little piece says so much about their style. Captured by the talented Nicole Polk, this SoCal wedding has “simple chic” down to a science.

The venue is stunning, romantic, and totally gorgeous so we just let it dictate the style which ended up being more shabby chic than either of us probably actually ever could have imagined our typically modern tastes would have dictated.

From the bride, Rachel. I always described our wedding to friends as a candle-lit outdoor dinner party with all our friends and loved ones – a Thanksgiving in the summertime. I think we accomplished that exactly.

The Chuppah we stood under was made by our friend Jeff. He constructed the whole thing in the week before the wedding using a table cloth my mother embroidered when she was newly married. She passed away in 2005 so this was a way to include her in the ceremony.

I cross stitched the table numbers, hand stamped the escort cards letter by letter, made the burlap table runners and the succulent centerpieces. The colors were pretty organic. White dahlias, lots of greens and browns, seed pods, etc., with lavender sprigs for accents.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Only do things that are meaningful to you, that you enjoy, that you couldn’t live without, so you will have no regrets later! Anything that doesn’t meet those three simple criteria can probably get scrapped. You’ll never remember on the day and NO ONE will question why something wasn’t there.